High turnout, long lines: A look at Ohio's last weekend of early voting on Issue 1

Saturday and Sunday were the last days to vote early in-person on Issue 1 and turnout was high across Ohio with lines stretching around buildings in some counties.

While many projected low turnout for the Aug. 8 election on Issue 1, Ohio voters have headed to the polls at incredible rates over the past few weeks, according to election officials. For the first time, Ohio no longer allows early in-person voting on the Monday before election day.

"For the naysayers who said there would be low turnout for an August election, I think the turnout for early and absentee voting has been very robust," said Rob Nichols, spokesperson for the Secretary of State's office.

Complete early voting numbers are not yet available, according to Nichols.

Ohioans will decide Tuesday whether it should be harder to change the state constitution. If passed, Issue 1 would require 60% of the vote to enact new constitutional amendments, instead of a simple majority of 50% plus one. It also would:

• Require citizens who want to place an amendment on the ballot to collect signatures from at least 5% of voters from the last gubernatorial election in all 88 counties, instead of the current 44.

• Eliminate a 10-day cure period that allows citizens to replace any signatures deemed faulty by the secretary of state's office.

More: Election Day is Tuesday. Here's how Ohio Issue 1 advocates are making their final pitch

Issue 1 needs a simple majority to pass. If approved, the 60% threshold would take effect right away, and changes to signature gathering would be in place starting Jan. 1.

As of Friday, the statewide total of early in-person and absentee ballots cast since June 23 was 578,490. For comparison, about 288,700 people voted early for the May 2022 primary election, which featured highly contested races for governor and U.S. Senate. And in last August's primaries, just under 143,000 voted early.

Because Ohio hasn't held an August statewide election in over 100 years, it's difficult to find a basis of comparison for tomorrow's vote. While some officials say high early turnout could lead to record-breaking election day turnout, others worry that the majority of the votes were cast early, and that Tuesday could actually bring shorter lines at the polls.

The potential ramifications of the Aug. 8 vote for reproductive rights has driven high campaign spending on both sides of Issue 1, urging voters to get out to the polls early. Elections officials confirmed July 25 that Ohioans will vote this November on whether to amend the state constitution to protect abortion rights. If Issue 1 passes, this amendment would have to get at least 60% of the vote, rather than a simple majority, to go into effect. With support for abortion protections polling at around 58%, according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, Issue 1's 60% threshold could be decisive.

A busy weekend at the polls

Ohio is among a handful of states that allow early voting on the weekend before election day. With many voters off of work over the weekend, officials expected the polls to be packed, and Ohioans didn't disappoint.

Rural counties with smaller populations saw shorter lines to vote on Saturday and Sunday. Yet in Ohio's larger counties, lines stretched out the door as voters waited in 90-degree heat to cast their ballot. At the Franklin County Board of Elections in Columbus, the line nearly wrapped around the entire building. Spokesperson Aaron Sellers said some waited in hours-long lines on Sunday to cast their ballot.

In Franklin County alone, he said over 46,000 people in total voted early in-person, and nearly 30,000 requested absentee ballots. With early votes alone, Franklin County has already seen more votes cast for the Aug. 8 election than they did in last August's primary election for state House and Senate races, Sellers said.

Though the state hasn't tracked early voting breakdowns by party, Franklin County has seen far more Democrats and independents voting early than Republicans on the GOP-backed issue. Of the 46,000 total early votes cast in the reliably blue county, over 25,000 came from Democrats, with another 16,000 coming from Independents. Yet uncertainty remains for election day itself.

"Everything with elections is about comparing, and with this one, you just can't really compare," Sellers said.

The trend has echoed in urban counties across Ohio. Though wait times were shorter in Hamilton County this weekend, County Board of Elections Director Sherry Poland said they ended up with over 36,000 early in-person voters throughout the election cycle, and over 20,000 who requested an absentee ballot by mail.

Advocates on both the 'yes' and 'no' sides of Issue 1 also seized the opportunity this weekend to get the word out one last time, holding a number of rallies across the state. A 'vote yes' rally in Cincinnati hosted by Catholics for Catholics drew thousands of attendees on Sunday, including Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Supporters and opponents of Issue 1 were posted outside of boards of elections throughout the weekend, making final pitches to voters.

What to know for election day

Tuesday's polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. To check your polling location, head to the Secretary of State's website.

Mail-in ballots postmarked by Monday must be received at your local board of elections by Aug. 12 in order to be counted. You can also return your absentee ballot in-person at your local board of elections before 7:30 p.m. on election day.

Ohio also recently changed its voter ID laws, requiring photo ID for all voters. The following forms of ID are accepted for in-person voting:

• Ohio driver’s license

• Ohio state ID

• Interim identification form issued by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles

• Military ID (U.S. Military, U.S. Veterans Affairs, or Ohio National Guard)

• U.S. passport or passport card

IDs from other states, Social Security numbers, bank statements, utility bills and student ID cards are not accepted.

More: Everything you need to know about Ohio Issue 1 and the August special election

LCarey@Dispatch.com

@LilyLCarey

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Issue 1 early voting closes in Ohio, bringing high turnout